Commercial Embroidery

The embroidery industry is always changing. In this blog we will expore new techniques and markets, as well as new technology and how it can be used to boost sales and open up new marketplaces for commercial embroiderers.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Ricoma has just added a new dealer to cover the North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky areas The Company VITAL LINK MACHINE GROUP,INC. is based out of North Carolina and has over 18 YEARS of EXPERIENCE in the sales and support of embroidery and digitizing equipment.They will sell and offer training on NEW RICOMA machines, as well as buying and selling used equipment, in addition they offer supplies and repair of all brands of embroidery equipment. Their staff has over 72 YEARS of combined technical experience in the industry,Their goal is to assist in the attainment of embroiderer's success and and growth.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Ricoma's new RL-6030 laser engraving and cutting machine can generate a whole new customer base for your existing embroidery business, or assist you in starting a new and exciting business from scratch. Please contact us at info.ricoma.us or call us at 1888-292-6282 for more details and pricing.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Originally used in industries such as car manufacturing, electronics and furniture texturing, laser technology has been a tool in Nike’s shoe design headquarters for years. But it was in 2003 that Nike Designer Mark Smith pioneered the use of lasers for decorating leather, fine-tuning the process to a level that allowed incredibly detailed designs to be burned into Nike products. It wasn’t long before famed footwear like the Cortez, Jordan and AF1 were etched with intricate, tattoo / graffiti graphics, models that are still coveted by sneaker collectors around the world. But laser-etched leather had a design limitation: no matter what the upper’s colorway was, the burned-out designs were always brown, leather’s interior color.

Called a “substrait,” Jesse Leyva’s team wondered if they could change this interior color by changing materials. The solution was found by using synthetic materials. The Nike Sportswear Dunk Premium uses black synthetic material with various colored interiors to achieve this multi-colored substrait effect. Each panel of the shoe contains a different color which, when the top layer is carefully etched away, is revealed in high contrast by the laser. This season, the motif is the octagon—a symbol chosen by Nike’s design team to represent the summer games in Beijing and to honor the power of the number eight in Chinese culture. A byproduct of using synthetics in the Nike Dunk upper is a reduction in the shoe’s overall weight, since leather is heavier by nature than its man-made alternative. Along with a black body that allows the colorful shapes to pop visually, a patent leather swoosh and highly perforated vamp are premium design accents that give the sneaker a stealthy, yet sophisticated air.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Just like your car, your embroidery machine needs regular maintenance, to assure it is working at its optimum performance level and maximize its lifespan.

Oiling

Embroidery machines run at high speeds and high speeds create friction and heat, proper oiling reduces that friction, and the damage it can cause. There are oiling ports all over your machine and the manual clearly outlines the lubrication intervals for each port. After oiling make sure there is no excess oil, which can stain the products you are embroidery.

Cleaning

Thread creates lint as it is drawn through the needle, dust is in the air, when you combine them with oil, particularly in the hook assembly of your machine, a paste is created which can affect the tension on your bobbin thread and ultimately seize the hook. To avoid this it is necessary to clean the hook assembly area with a brush or canned air at least once a week. Also check your bobbin case to make sure the thread path is clear of this same oily residue.

Lubrication

Thee are areas of your machine which require a heavier lubricant than oil, those areas require greasing, you can find the required schedule in your manual.

Regular Check ups and Maintenance

It is always a good idea to schedule a machine check-up with your technician at least once a year. The technician can determine if there are potential problems with your machine that can be remedied before they develop into larger issues which can interfere with your productivity.

In the long run, the small amount of time it takes to take proper care of your machine will be more than made up by the increased performance and productivity you will ultimately achieve.

Accessories might seem to be a fairly dry subject, but threads, needles, and backings are the heart of the embroidery industry; without them there would be no embroidery. They make up what embroiderers create, package and present to their customers. Without these tangibles, all our customers would be presented with are ideas. It is therefore exciting to find and explore the uses of new and unique products, which can either change the personality of the product or ease the production process.

In fashion today, embroidery is big and it is present in every form. There is hand embroidery, chain stitch embroidery, cross stitch and lock stitch embroidery, all equally sharing the spotlight. Along with this new found notoriety has come a more sophisticated appreciation and awareness on the part of the consumer. Buyers see more embroidery on a regular basis than ever before. They also see a myriad of thread types and weights combined with varied densities and stitch types.

In response to this thread manufacturers are developing new thread options not just to feed the needs of embroidery producers, but also those of the newly educated consumers.

Of course, the new look is not created by thread choice alone; it involves fabric choices, embroidery techniques and digitizing innovations. New fabrics often require the development of new needles, backings, toppings and other accessories. They also may require new hooping and alignment guides to facilitate the coordination with the grain of the fabric or its pattern. Sheer fabrics require their own set of digitizing rules and backing considerations. The list goes on and on- each new product, fabric, thread or digitizing technique can produce a domino effect touching every aspect of the embroidery production process.

About Me

Ken is an accomplished embroidery designer and nationally-known instructor in the world of embroidery and fashion design. From Head Designer and President of his own fashion design house to bringing innovative insight into the designing of embroidery software, Ken has spent 27 years focusing his expertise in embroidery.
He has been on the faculty of such shows as the Creative Embroidery Conference and Original Quilt and Embroidery Expo.
Much of Ken’s time has been dedicated to the expanded use of embroidery products and recognition for the home embroiderer, serving as President of the American Embroidery Council and as a founding member of the Embroidery Hall of Fame. He has served as the Editorial Director for Stitches magazine, Profitable Embroiderer and Stitches World.
For the past 10 years Ken has taught Embroidery and Lace Design at The Fashion Institute of Technology part of the State University of New York system.
Ken has a passion for sharing his philosophies about designing and placing embroidery for maximum appeal and marketability.